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The run in: Can Salford City sneak into the League Two play-offs?

By on in Football, Salford City, Sport

With the race for the League Two play-offs hotting up, Salford City sit in 11th place with just eight games left to play in the 2021/22 League Two season.

Gary Bowyer’s men are seven points below the League Two play-offs with games in hand on some of their fellow chasing-pack teams. Due to the unpredictable nature of fourth-tier football, Salford could still mount a promotion challenge before the seasons’ end on May 7th.

The latter stages of the football league season can leave fans scratching their heads as they try and work out the mathematical probability of their side qualifying for the play-offs.

This is currently the case for the Salford faithful whose task is made all the more complicated due to the varying number of games in hand sides in the League Two play-offs battle have over each-other. Events during the season have been notorious for causing the re-scheduling of fixtures and we have seen less League Two football played on Saturday afternoons than we would have liked thanks to a multitude of storms and dreaded COVID cancellations.

Salford’s goal difference is not as healthy as those around them which could come back to bite them as they vie for a top seven spot.

Salford have not been defeated since January 29th so will fancy continuing their unbeaten streak.

In their run-in, the Ammies face a mixed bag as they bid for a late promotion surge. A Good Friday clash at the Memorial Stadium with west-country outfit Bristol Rovers, who currently reside in sixth place, could prove pivotal. Another potentially tricky task for Bowyer’s side comes in the form of an away trip to Greater Manchester rivals Oldham Athletic who are in the midst of a relegation battle and will be desperate for a victory. After appointing John Sheridan for the sixth time in January, the Latics enjoyed an upturn of form, referred to by some as a “Shezzurection” but have subsequently endured a run of six consecutive defeats.

Salford City struggled for consistency in the early stages of the season, and a promotion chase seemed out of the equation but since February, they have been on a strong run of form winning six, and drawing four. In fact, during that time Salford’s form has been significantly better than that of Forest Green who sit top of the league by four points with a game in hand on second placed Exeter City.

January signings have proved to be a key component in the Ammies’ successful vein of form with former Championship striker Matt Smith netting four goals in 12 League Two appearances whilst midfielder Ryan Watson has been an influential figure since signing from play-off rivals Tranmere.

As they lie just below the play-offs, Salford will be partially reliant on others in the chasing pack slipping up. A fixture between Port Vale and Newport on April 30th is certain to leave Ammies fans refreshing their phones. A fixture at Prenton Park between Tranmere and Bristol Rovers on April 9th will also be worth keeping an eye on for Salford fans as a slip-up from either side could allow Bowyer’s men to creep into the top seven.

Piktochart by Ed Bazeley. Stats correct as of 29/03/2022

If Salford do manage to climb the table into the playoffs, then promotion could be on the cards. It often pans out that a side who makes a late play-off surge ends up being the side who goes up. A good example of this was Blackpool’s successful promotion bid from League One last season.

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